Merry Christmas: Flash mob trashes mall

Hundreds of black teenagers who mistakenly believed a rap artist would be making an appearance at a Brooklyn, NY mall, suddenly began brawling and vandalizing dozens of stores amid a post-holiday crush of shoppers.The flash mob was organized via social media.

More than 400 crazed teens -- who mistakenly thought the rapper Fabolous would perform -- erupted into brawls all over Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Mill Basin on Thursday at 5 p.m., sources said.

The troublemakers looted and ransacked several stores as panicked shoppers ran for the exits and clerks scrambled to pull down metal gates.

"I was begging them to stop. There were a lot of kids, hundreds of kids . . . [Security] would chase them out one door and they would come back in another door," said Abu Taleb, 31, a clerk at the kiosk Candy Plaza 2. "I've been here seven years, and I have never seen anything like this before."

Some of the teens staged a game of "knockout" on the top floor -- and one may have been carrying a gun, sources said.

"They were playing the 'knockout' game," said Shante, a 21-year-old perfume merchant, in reference to a violent trend in which teens try to knock out an unsuspecting victim with a single punch.

"People were getting really scared," she said.

The mall was shuttered at around 7 p.m. for roughly an hour and has since issued a temporary "no teens" rule, in which anyone under 21 must be accompanied by an adult, police sources said.

Fights at the mall also broke out in front of McDonald's and Best Buy, where a group of girls began screaming and throwing punches as security guards struggled to break up the brawl.

Two security guards also carried a teenage boy out by his wrists and ankles, video footage shows.

Some of the teens -- who had planned the rowdy meet-up on social media -- later took to Facebook to brag about it.

The Visigoths are on the loose and barbarians are running amok among us. What is the response of the authorities and their mouthpieces in the media?

No such thing as the "knockout game." And let's not mention the race of the rioters lest we offend someone.

Being in denial about the problem of black youths in violent rebellion against society only puts all of us in danger. Flash mobs, the knockout game - these are symptoms of a sickness that those in power are refusing to diagnose and even deny exists.

Until they do, we are at the mercy of the barbarians.

Hundreds of black teenagers who mistakenly believed a rap artist would be making an appearance at a Brooklyn, NY mall, suddenly began brawling and vandalizing dozens of stores amid a post-holiday crush of shoppers.

More than 400 crazed teens -- who mistakenly thought the rapper Fabolous would perform -- erupted into brawls all over Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Mill Basin on Thursday at 5 p.m., sources said.

The troublemakers looted and ransacked several stores as panicked shoppers ran for the exits and clerks scrambled to pull down metal gates.

"I was begging them to stop. There were a lot of kids, hundreds of kids . . . [Security] would chase them out one door and they would come back in another door," said Abu Taleb, 31, a clerk at the kiosk Candy Plaza 2. "I've been here seven years, and I have never seen anything like this before."

Some of the teens staged a game of "knockout" on the top floor -- and one may have been carrying a gun, sources said.

"They were playing the 'knockout' game," said Shante, a 21-year-old perfume merchant, in reference to a violent trend in which teens try to knock out an unsuspecting victim with a single punch.

"People were getting really scared," she said.

The mall was shuttered at around 7 p.m. for roughly an hour and has since issued a temporary "no teens" rule, in which anyone under 21 must be accompanied by an adult, police sources said.

Fights at the mall also broke out in front of McDonald's and Best Buy, where a group of girls began screaming and throwing punches as security guards struggled to break up the brawl.

Two security guards also carried a teenage boy out by his wrists and ankles, video footage shows.

Some of the teens -- who had planned the rowdy meet-up on social media -- later took to Facebook to brag about it.

The Visigoths are on the loose and barbarians are running amok among us. What is the response of the authorities and their mouthpieces in the media?

No such thing as the "knockout game." And let's not mention the race of the rioters lest we offend someone.

Being in denial about the problem of black youths in violent rebellion against society only puts all of us in danger. Flash mobs, the knockout game - these are symptoms of a sickness that those in power are refusing to diagnose and even deny exists.